Combining the study of past wildlife patterns and the many predictable factors of our environment, the Original Fish and Game Forecaster gives all sportsmen an opportunity to use science to improve their ability to hunt, fish, birdwatch or photograph wildlife in any environment. You can use the accompanying log book to keep track of time, weather conditions and location.

35th Edition 2017 Hannon’s Moon Clock Now Available! ~ Good from January 2017 through January 2018 ~ GET IT NOW!!!

Developed by ‘The Bass Professor” Doug Hannon – one of the worlds most knowledgeable wildlife experts.

Features of the Moon Clock:

36th Year

Developed by “The Bass Professor,” Doug Hannon – one of the world’s most knowledgeable wildlife experts

Actually, the best answer is “Don’t decide…get both” because that’s what most folks do. But, there is a difference and here’s an explanation:

The Moon Clock was born 35 years ago, the brain child of Doug Hannon who was one of America’s most trusted wildlife experts. Doug had a special interest in fish, most notably largemouth bass. He not only studied their habits but he filmed and videoed hours of their behavior and talked about it on “Sportsman’s Challenge.” Much of the video was featured on the between-program information on ESPN and ESPN2 starting in the mid 1980’s. Doug was a real naturalist and he studied the effects of the moon on all kinds of large and small animals wild and tame, all species of fresh and salt water fish, and birds. He realized that the moon had a similar effect on all of them. You can read a rather complex article that Doug wrote by clicking here.

The Moon Clock, as you might expect judging by the name, is concerned with only the moon. It is predicated on the four daily events that happen when the moon rises and sets and is directly overhead or under foot (on the direct opposite side of the earth). Basically, when the moon is rising or setting the activity is “Good.” When it is overhead or under foot, the activity is “Excellent.” Each of the times advance daily by approximately 47 minutes. It is important to note that the “activity” predicted is movement and the movement is focused on feeding. The Moon Clock and resulting Moon Times are formulated in a completely different manner than any other tables even though, like other tables, there are the resulting four times daily of greatest activity. An important benefit of the Moon Clock is its size – 4” X 6”. Pocket size!

The Fish & Game Forecast was “invented” 44 years ago by friends in Minneapolis who were among the early computer wizards and, more importantly — fishing nuts. You can read the story of how it happened by clicking on “Early Days – the Beginning of DataSport” on the right hand side of this page. They, too, believed in the four basic daily activity periods but felt that there were other factors that influenced the organisms that they were studying – animals, fish and birds. The studies they performed and external information they developed or measured proved to them that those factors should be incorporated into their algorithms. Many of those factors were based on data that anyone who has fished or hunted would recognize, most notably the weighting of activity toward dawn and dusk. That information, along with actual results from fishing tournaments and other data, was added to the programming that they finally wrote. The resulting graphics proved to be the major difference between the Moon Clock and the Fish & Game Forecast. As you can see, each day’s graph shows four separate peaks but each peak is measurably different in strength based on the “external data” that is part of the algorithm. So….we tend to say some “Good” periods are better than others and some “Excellent” periods are better than others. That is why each day has “Fair,” “Good” and “Excellent” levels. You will note that, although not all days have times that reach the “Excellent” level, there are no days or times that are rated “Poor” because there is never a poor time to go fishing or hunting! Additional benefits of The Fish & Game Forecaster are the inclusion of monthly moon phases, apogee and perigee dates, sun and moon rise and set times for 35° and 44° latitude and, to some the most important…many pages of log book to keep track of your hunting and fishing outings.

My Account

Cart

Outdoor Notes (.....)

Saltwater Fishing

For hot action on big speckled trout in cold water, fish slowly. Frigid temperatures decrease the metabolic rate of cold-blooded fish so they don’t chase baits as far or as fast. For this reason, use baits that hover in the water column or slowly sink. Jigheads worked along the bottom can also work, but nothing works on big specks in cold water like live baitfish.

2014-02-07T20:09:14+00:00

For hot action on big speckled trout in cold water, fish slowly. Frigid temperatures decrease the metabolic rate of cold-blooded fish so they don’t chase baits as far or as fast. For this reason, use baits that hover in the water column or slowly sink. Jigheads worked along the bottom can also work, but nothing …

Fishing

When fishing smallmouth bass in current, use lighter line. Bigger, heavier line creates more drag in the water. The current can more easily catch heavier, thicker line than lighter line. When targeting bass stacking up in eddies behind rocks, the current might bow the line, pulling the bait away from the sweet spot. With light line, the current pushes a bait into the eddy. Many people use 4- to 8-pound fluorocarbon for targeting smallies in fast water.

2014-02-07T20:20:43+00:00

When fishing smallmouth bass in current, use lighter line. Bigger, heavier line creates more drag in the water. The current can more easily catch heavier, thicker line than lighter line. When targeting bass stacking up in eddies behind rocks, the current might bow the line, pulling the bait away from the sweet spot. With light …

Hunting

Sometimes, the nastiest weather offers the best time to hunt deer, but when the weather turns bad, hunters need to do different things. Deer don’t move around in the rain very often, but may move in a light mist as they try to seek cover. They may also move around immediately following a rain. Rains can send deer into the thickest cover. Instead of sitting on a stand, go into the thickets looking for them. In a hard rain, deer may not hear, see or smell a person coming.

2014-02-07T20:20:15+00:00

Sometimes, the nastiest weather offers the best time to hunt deer, but when the weather turns bad, hunters need to do different things. Deer don’t move around in the rain very often, but may move in a light mist as they try to seek cover. They may also move around immediately following a rain. Rains …

Hunting

Some goose hunters arrange their decoys in staggered lines, particularly later in the season. Place these staggered lines so that the geese appear to be walking toward the main body. In the main body, place geese decoys that simulate feeding birds. These staggered lines mimic birds trying to join the feast. Sometimes, new arriving flocks try to land between the lines and the main body to get a jump on the others trying to eat.

2014-02-07T20:21:06+00:00

Some goose hunters arrange their decoys in staggered lines, particularly later in the season. Place these staggered lines so that the geese appear to be walking toward the main body. In the main body, place geese decoys that simulate feeding birds. These staggered lines mimic birds trying to join the feast. Sometimes, new arriving flocks …

Outdoors

Light and convenient, a self-inflating personal floatation device can prove an invaluable safety aid when venturing onto the lake ice. These lightweight devices fit comfortably and could save a life if someone breaks through the ice. A warm, insulated and buoyant suit can also protect a person. A sudden breakthrough into freezing water could shock a person into not thinking clear. A flotation device could keep the person’s head above water even if that person panics.

2014-02-07T20:05:26+00:00

Light and convenient, a self-inflating personal floatation device can prove an invaluable safety aid when venturing onto the lake ice. These lightweight devices fit comfortably and could save a life if someone breaks through the ice. A warm, insulated and buoyant suit can also protect a person. A sudden breakthrough into freezing water could shock …